Lovely Low Cost Sofa Beds
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By tommy. Sofa Bed. Published at Monday, December 12th, 2016 - 04:01:11 AM.

When Do You Need to Buy a Sofa Bed?
The sofa furniture market is filled with many different designs that will surely give a hard time to any shopper. Getting confused on which one to buy is a very usual problem that many home owners face whenever they start going around furniture outlets to buy pieces that they will use for their home furnishing projects.
One of the dilemmas that are commonly faced by many such home makers is when to know whether you need particular sofa design or not. For example, when do you know that what you need is a sofa bed instead of a conventional sofa that is not capable of being converted to a bed?
As expected, the answer to this question will depend entirely on the needs of the buyer.
The sofa bed is a sofa design which incorporates a provision that enables it to convert into a bed. The usual method is by enabling the back rests to be reclined into a flat position which effectively increases the mattress space where a user can lie on.
This type of sofa shines in situations where a home may find itself lacking sleeping accommodation for a family or friend that come to the home as guests. Since not all houses are gifted with plenty of rooms that can be spared for visitors, a sofa bed will surely come in handy whenever the need for a makeshift bedroom arises. You could install a unit in your living room area so you can use the room to serve as temporary guest accommodation. With these convertible sofas, you will not have to be heartless and turn your friends away to stay in expensive hotels when they come to visit you.
These sofas are also popular among those who live in small, studio type homes that have no space for separate beds and sofas. They are also well-utilized by many students who live in cramped dormitory rooms.
There are many different designs as far as this type of sofas are concerned. Most popular ones come with ability to be converted to single to king-sized beds. There also similar derivatives/variants like the futon sofa and the corner sofa bed which are great for those who wish to maximize home space further.

Sofa Bed Mattresses - Differences Between Sofa Bed Mattresses
Sofa bed mattresses are often underused but that doesnt mean they should not be comfortable. If you are in the market for a new one, there are several factors that you should consider when making the purchase. The most important factor is the type of mattress you choose. The most popular types of mattresses include memory foam, latex, foam, air and innerspring. Each of these mattresses vary in price and comfort.
In deciding between the three, you should consider whether your sofa bed will be used often as a main bed or if it will be used on occasion only when guests are visiting your home. If its used frequently, or if you pride yourself on having a comfortable sofa mattress, we would recommend the memory foam and latex.
Memory foam sofa bed mattresses are usually recommended for those that want a medium firmness mattress. Doctors often suggest memory foam mattresses to patients who have back problems or other ailments. These types of beds react to your bodys temperature and then mold around the curves of your body. Because of this feature, memory foam is great for relieving pressure on joints and in the back. Due to their unique construction, they also reduce the effects of motion if more than one person is sleeping in the bed. One thing to note, if you are considering this type of mattress, make sure you choose one that is made of open cell memory foam. The closed cell memory foam will overheat as the bed responds to your body temperature.
Latex sofa bed mattresses tend to be the best option for those that like a firm mattress and who like the idea of having an eco friendly product. Latex sofa mattresses are also the most costly because of their manufacturing process. These types of beds are made from rubber trees from Sri Lanka or other Southeast Asia regions. This bed also offers other benefits such as being hypo-allergenic, resistant to dust mites and ecologically friendly. Natural latex beds will keep their shape over time while synthetic latex beds deteriorate more quickly. Synthetic latex also discolors easily if exposed to sunlight. If you choose this type, go with natural latex.
Foam sofa bed mattresses arent as comfortable as memory foam or latex, but they do a better job hiding the feel of the metal bar in a sofa bed than an innerspring mattress. Like a firm bed? They tend to be towards the harder side because they dont have a comfort layer like the two other models.
Air Sofa Bed Mattresses allow you to change the firmness of the bed by pumping more air into the mattress. We dont recommend them because they tend to leak and its a pain having to deflate the bed after each use only to blow it up again when the next guest arrives.
The innerspring or coil sofa mattress is the cheapest and also the least comfortable. Youll feel both the coils and the metal bar when lying on a coil sofa mattress. Because it is the most inexpensive, many manufacturers use this as the default mattress in the sofa beds they sell. For obvious reasons, we dont recommend this option as a replacement.

A Sofa Bed Mattress Can Be Very Comfortable
Sofa beds are a convenient way to make room for overnight guests. However, they dont have the best reputation for comfort. When most people think about sleeping on sofa beds, they dont look forward to it. They tend to think of uncomfortable and squeaky mattresses that are likely to leave them with a backache.
Sofa bed mattresses arent all created equal, though. Spending the night on a sofa bed doesnt have to be an unpleasant experience that leaves you with an aching body. There are many options when it comes to sofa bed mattresses. It is possible to buy sofa bed mattresses in varying degrees of firmness at a quality level at or near the quality of a traditional bedroom mattress. No matter what type of sofa bed mattress you prefer, there is a sofa bed mattress that meets your needs.
You dont necessarily have to invest in a completely new sofa to get a comfortable sofa bed mattress. Start out your search with a visit to your local mattress stores. It is entirely possible that they carry a sofa bed mattress that meets your needs. Even if they dont carry the best sofa bed mattress, it is likely that a retailer who specializes in mattresses will be able to order one from a reputable supplier for you.
If you have ever spent the night on a bad sofa bed mattress, you know how important having a high quality sofa bed mattress can be. If you have invested in a sofa bed, it only makes sense to make sure that the sofa bed mattress in it is one that people can stand to use. Nothing is worse than being unable to sleep well, or waking up with a sore and aching body as a result of spending the night on a low-quality, uncomfortable sofa bed mattress.
Assuming that you want your overnight guests to feel welcome in your home, purchasing a high quality sofa bed mattress can be an excellent investment. People will look forward to spending the night at your house when you replace your creaky old sofa bed mattress with a new, high quality sofa bed mattress. Your guests will appreciate having a comfortable bed to sleep on when they stay in your home. They will be able to enjoy a good nights sleep, and will awaken refreshed and relaxed.

How to Wrap a Sofa-Bed for Moving and Storage With Moving Blankets
Wrapping a sofa bed for moving with moving blankets requires some skill and experience. Sofas, and especially sofa-beds, are bulky and heavy furniture. If you do not have experience, wrapping a sofa bed with moving blankets it is probably better left for professional household movers on the move day. On the other hand, a Quilted Sofa Cover can easily be used for moving a couch, and then reused to cover a sofa for long term storage, protection from dirt, dust, pet claws, fading from sun exposure, etc. Regular sofas normally do not present much of a challenge, because even though they are large - they are light-weight, but a large heavy sofa-bed might cause you trouble on the move day.
Before you attempt to move your sofa:
Before wrapping a sofabed ("hide-a-bed" couch) for moving, make sure that the sofa can fit through the doors and can be safely moved out and brought into your new home. Try to remember if the sofa bed was moved in as one piece or if it was assembled inside. Was there any remodeling done, that might have narrowed the hallway?
If you think that the sofa would not fit through the door, call the original store or sofa-bed manufacturer and see if they can come and disassemble it for you and then reassemble in the new place. This service might cost around $175.00 and it is well worth it.
Bear in mind that the blanket wrap will add an inch or two to the dimensions of your sofa and this can make a big difference. Sometimes it is better to just move the sofa out as is and then wrap it in the moving truck. Most of the time experienced movers can maneuver the sofa-bed out by skillfully rotating it around the corners and carrying it through doorways just at the right angle. But that is not always the case and forcing the sofa through a tight spot is the recipe for moving damage, which can be done to the sofa itself or to the walls and doors of your home.
Prepare sofa-bed for wrapping:
So how to wrap the sofa bed correctly as professional movers do?
First, inspect your sofa-bed. Some are constructed with solid padded sections under the fabric, in others the fabric is stretched over a hollow frame.
NOTE: if the sofa-bed with hollow frame is incorrectly laid on its back on a moving dolly, the frame may crack under the weight of the sofa-bed. Also, if you load anything heavy on or against one of these hollow sections - the fabric might deform permanently and this will damage the sofa.
Take cushions off the sofa. You want to make the sofa as light as possible, especially if you have to carry it up or down the stairs. Place the cushions in a wardrobe box or tie up together by a strap or rope facing each other.
To avoid wrinkling of the "Skirt" of a couch - lift the skirting and rubber band it loosely against the fabric. (NOTE: very tight rubber band or tape can leave an impression or dent in naugahyde and velvet finishes.)
Next, if this is a sofa bed - tie up the bed frame to the sofa frame. You can use any type of packing rope, moving strap, or make a tie up out of a packing tape.
Cover sofa with moving blankets.
Now it is time to start wrapping. It takes 4 moving blankets of regular size (72 x 80 inches) to cover a sofa bed.
Move the sofa away from the wall so you can walk around it. Place the first blanket to cover the front down to the floor (allow enough to go under the bottom) and just to fold over the back.
Place the second blanket to cover the back. Make sure to allow enough blanket to cover the bottom under the sofa and somewhat overlap over the front blanket.
Now place one blanket on each side, making sure it covers the sides and the back and front corners and has enough to go under the bottom. These moving blankets would overlap the front and back blankets. At this point your sofa should be completely covered in blankets.
To secure the moving blankets on the sofa you can use rubber bands or tape.
NOTE: If you are wrapping sofa in the moving truck or it is possible to just roll it out on a moving dolly - rubber bands would suffice. But if you are planning to maneuver the sofa-bed through the doorway or move the couch down the stairs, you have to use packing tape. Rubber bands do not provide sufficient hold and blankets can slip off the sofa. Mover would have no "grip" on the sofa to carry it.
Securing moving blankets on the Sofa.
Start taping the blankets on sofa in the middle (vertical), somewhere half the total height of the sofa and then go along the seating area from side to side. Starting just under the armrests and going along the frame right under the seat from one side to the other. Make sure to tuck and fold loose corners of the blanket neatly around the corners of the sofa and catch them with tape, so they cover the sofa sides and corners properly and do not hang loose. This will hold all four blankets in position. Go around over the same layer of tape at least 4 -5 times. This will provide strong support for carrying the sofa.
Next, roll the tape around the armrests to secure side blankets in place then, go along the back of sofa. At this point you should have the blankets secured the long way.
Now stand the sofa up on its side and wrap across in at least three sections: right over the armrests, and in the middle. For very long sofas make two midsection bands to catch the edges of the side blankets. Fold the excess of the moving blankets over the bottom. (There is no need to cover the whole bottom, unless you want to, but it is important to cover the corners.) Remove the legs, if removable. If legs cannot be removed - wrap and tape the moving blanket around the legs of the sofa-bed. Flip the sofa and do the same for the other side.
Now your sofa-bed is wrapped and ready to go.
How to wrap a sofa bed using a sofa cover.
If wrapping sofa bed with moving blankets sounds like a lot of work - get a quilted sofa cover. Quilted sofa covers are made out of the same premium quilted moving blanket material and have three tie ups at the bottom.
The whole process becomes very simple: cover the sofa with a sofa cover, stand it up on its side, or lay on the back and tie the tie ups together.
Tips:
1 - if you have a light colored upholstered sofa - place a plastic sofa cover first before wrapping with moving blankets.
2 - to make a tie out of a packing tape - unroll as much tape as you can with your arms stretched. Then fold it sticky surface in. Squeeze the tape so it sticks to itself - now you can tie up your sofa bed frame securely.
3 - if you have a leather sofa - use cardboard corners to protect the edges and corners of the sofa.
4 - Do not put sofa on blankets, put moving blankets on sofa! You might have seen recommendation to put blankets on the floor first and then put sofa on top of the blanket to wrap it. Doing it this way is very inefficient, labor intensive and time consuming. (Time is money, especially when you hire movers. And in this case what is good for mover is not necessarily good for you). This method requires additional floor space to lay down blankets, while the sofa is still occupying its own space. Then you need a helper to put the sofa on the blanket and to keep the falling ends of the blanket up when you try to tape them. And last, but not least the sofa bed legs (if not removed) will create holes and destroy the blanket when the sofa is pushed around in the moving truck.